Assessing the 76ers' Biggest Needs at the 2026 NBA Draft

Philadelphia is still not quite where it needs to be, but youth is starting to creep in on a playoff competitor.

May 10, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) reacts against the New York Knicks in the second quarter during game four of the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

For the last seven years, the Philadelphia 76ers have been trying to get over the hump. It's crazy to say, but after they broke into playoff contention in 2018, they've tried over and over again to enter title contention, but Philadelphia has yet to watch its team in the Eastern Conference Finals since 2001.

Still, 2026's playoff run went slightly better than expected for the core of Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Paul George and VJ Edgecombe. They led the 76ers to a first-round upset over the No. 2-seeded Boston Celtics before a disappointing sweep to the New York Knicks in round two.

Surprisingly, Philadelphia's core has gotten younger over the last few years. After trading James Harden, the 76ers have emphasized youth in the form of Maxey, Edgecombe and role players like Adem Bona and Dominick Barlow. They'll have the chance to bring in more with the 2026 NBA Draft.

With the 22nd overall pick, the organization can fill a key need with some sleepers in the backend of the first round. Here are two aspects of the game the 76ers should emphasize in this year's draft:

Point Guard Depth

It wasn't as abysmal as the Houston Rockets' point guard situation, mainly because Philadelphia could rely on Maxey and George as legitimate ball handlers. But the 76ers need point guard depth at the draft.

They should focus on taking a prospect who can relieve the wings of any sort of facilitation pressure, able to find them in their sweet spots from the get-go. The team finished the playoffs 14th in assists per game with a lack of ball movement.

At No. 22, some point guard prospects to consider include Bennett Stirtz, Christian Anderson and Ebuka Okorie. Stirtz and Okorie are more score-first options, as they can score at all three levels, while Anderson can both get buckets and find teammates at an impressive level.

Perimeter Shooting

Sticking with the offensive mindset, the 76ers were pretty bad this postseason in terms of three-point shooting, finishing with a 32.8% clip. As much as New York got historically hot in the scoring department, they sputtered against the Knicks, and there's a chance they lose sharpshooter Quentin Grimes in free agency. He also can't be the only true shooting weapon.

At No. 22, Philadelphia should target wing prospects such as Dailyn Swain, Allen Graves and Isaiah Evans. Evans, in particular, has experience at the highest level of college basketball (Duke) while posting averages of 15 points and 3.2 rebounds on 36.1% shooting from deep. He can be a legitimate 3&D weapon at 6-foot-6 with a 6-foot-9 wingspan.